Are you staying in your comfort zone?

Anytime you feel uneasy about taking action with your career, it can be a sign to stop and identify what is keeping you from moving forward.

Comfort zones can strengthen or weaken your future career steps, especially if you allow yourself to become docile in a changing marketplace. It’s not that comfort zones are bad; you need them in order to regroup and rest. They serve as an emotional roadmap of sorts, minimizing risks.

Staying in a comfort zone for too long creates a mindset of complacency that can dampen your motivation in wanting to try something new. The idea of changing careers or taking on a new assignment can be so overwhelming to some that moving can be an uphill battle if they are not ready.

Take the case of a manager who stayed with one employer for 17 years only changing job roles twice. When the company merged with a larger competitor, their position was eliminated. Instead of taking action when the signs all around them were glaring red, they went about their daily routine hoping that everything would work out if only they stayed still and focused on their job.

This manager isn’t alone; a lot of people will stay in a job using just enough skills to meet the requirements. It took a job elimination to get them to move forward and that’s when comfort zones interfere with taking steps towards strengthening your career. While it’s human to feel anxious when faced with change, know the difference between moving through anxiety and staying mired down with wanting things to stay the same.

Recognizing when you are in comfort zone is the first step to self-awareness and is a good indication that you need to grow. Consider taking stretch assignments, projects that will help you develop new skills. Break the habit of staying in a comfort zone down into manageable steps; ask a colleague out of lunch, take a training class, attend a conference or expand your social networking.

How has staying in a comfort zone kept you from growing in your present job?